Pesticides are important. It helps farmers grow more food on less land by protecting crops from pests, diseases and weeds and increasing productivity per hectare.
Largely thanks to pesticides, production of staple crops has more than tripled since 1960. I was. The amount of wheat increased by almost 160%.
All farmers, including organic farmers, use pesticides.
All farmers use pesticides, whether synthetic or naturally derived. The difference is that organic farmers can only use pesticides from natural sources.However, synthetic and natural pesticides differ in toxicity levels.
Without pesticides, more than half of crops would be lost to pests and disease. Between 26% and 40% of the world’s potential crop production is lost each year to weeds, pests and diseases.2 Without crop protection, these losses could easily double. Benefits of pesticides
Food crops have to contend with 30,000 species of weeds, 3,000 species of earthworms, and 10,000 species of herbivorous insects. And the danger doesn’t stop after the crop leaves the field. Beetles, mold and rodents can cause damage during storage. Pesticides can extend plant life and prevent post-harvest losses.
Currently, about 925 million people around the world suffer from hunger. This is her one in seven. To reduce hunger, we must increase food productivity. Pesticides help farmers do this.
Pesticides enable farmers to produce affordable, safe, high-quality food.
It also helps farmers provide an abundance of the nutritious food needed for human health all year round. Fruits and vegetables that provide essential nutrients are more abundant and affordable. Grains, milk and protein, which are essential for a child’s development, are more readily available due to the low cost of producing food and feed. Harvest quantity and quality depend on crop protection. For example, US studies estimate that without fungicides, yields of most fruits and vegetables are reduced by 50-90%.3 In addition, pesticides can contaminate with harmful microbes and naturally occurring toxins. reduce exposure to contaminated foods and prevent foodborne illness.